Taking the train from Malaga to Madrid allowed us to see a little of the country side during the three hour trip. We had booked into the Western Palace hotel for the first few days and the Ritz for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Both hotels were ideally placed - close to museums, major city squares, parks and transport.
The night we arrived we headed to a little restaurant "Botin" founded in 1725 and claiming to be the oldest in Europe.
Situated just off Plaza Mayor, it did not look much from the outside - however inside was great.....downstairs to a low roof cavern where the food and the service was memorable. Plus it is just one of those places you have to go to - just to say you have been.
The walk back to the hotel was through lovely little dark allyways and local squares which were lit up for Christmas with lots of families and couples around looking at the lights.
The next day was where we tried to take in some culture (and for those that know us well - we do occasionally attempt this - not always successfully - but we try). The Prada art museum beckoned and Ian went over and purchased tickets at 9am. We had been told that there would be a long wait......he was not sure if he just lucked out or if being early was the answer - but he was the only one there and had his tickets immediately - so we spent the day browsing the various sections of the museum, including a special exhibition dedicated to Velazquez. Neither of us know much about the art world but we do enjoy spending time at exhibitions and trying to get a handle on what the artist was attempting to portray.
I think both of us find the 16th to the 20th century traditional artists easier to understand than some of the modern pieces. However, we have spent some time over the last few years viewing Picasso and some of his contemporaries and are gradually learning a bit about them. Therefore the following afternoon we also trooped off to the Musea Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia - which is focused on Spanish modern artists. Ian was keen to see Picasso's Guernica which was painted in 1937 and included a series of sketches which demonstrated the development of the piece.
The evening was spent looking at the Christmas lights and having dinner at a nice little bistro we found on our walk. Once back in the Hotel, I "veged" whilst Ian went out to view the fireworks which were released over the Palace de Commicationes. Our window looked towards the square so I received a pretty good view of them also.
Madrid is a beautiful city with wonderful buildings, lovely parks and interesting little squares and laneways. The Plaza Mayor is known for its Christmas Markets which are set up each year in December. The square is lovely in its own right - but add the Christmas decorations and stalls and it was a nice way to spend the morning browsing.
The square is surrounded with wonderful cafes and small good shops which specialise in the hams and cheeses from Spain. Being Christmas weekend, they were busy with wives selecting the food for the Christmas Eve meal. The husbands, in the meantime, kept themselves busy either minding the kids at the stalls or stamp swapping, which seemed to occur at every light post in the square.
It was a great way to spend a morning and with the art museums from the day before and in the afternoon, left us very tired and foot sore but glad we had come.
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